Clod-cutter



(No Model.)

N. PETERS. mwlnnagnphar. wnxhingtm D. C.

ei-rAnLn-s DoUGLAss EDWARDS,

artnr Ottica@ OF ALBERT LEA, MINNESOTA.

GLOB-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 306,728, dated October 21, 1884.

Application tiled January ll, 1584.

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Be it known that I, CHARLES Dorfen-tss i EDWARDS, a citizen of the United States, and i a resident of Albert Lea, inthe county of Free i born, in the State of Minnesota, have invented f certain new and useful lmproveuientsin Clod- Cutters, of which the following speciiication is .t"f`ull,.clear, and exact description, reference being also had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view, and Fig. 2 is a side i elevation. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of seetions of one of the tooth-bars detached. Fig. t is an enlarged perspective view ot` one ol" the teeth detached.

A A are the tooth-bars, connected at their ends by front and back bars, B B, and the outer tooth-bars and the ends of the front and g back bars connected by cross-braces G C, as shown. .These braces, where they cross each other, are clamped to each other and also the center of the central tooth-"bar, A, by a clip, a, all the parts being thus firmly secured together. rlhe tooth-bars A are formed with their front portions, from b to b2, straight and parallel with each other, while their rear portions, from b to l, are also straight and parl a l lel with each other, but each straight sect-ion ol` each bar is connected by an angular part from b to b3, so that the straight sections b to b* are opposite the centers of the spaces between the straight sections from b to bl', as shown in Fig. l. The forward ends of the tooth-bars A.are twisted around one-halt' a turn, and bolted or riveted beneath the forward bar, B', while their rear ends are simply bent around into eyes, as shown at in in Figs. 2 and 3, through which to passl the bolts or rivets by which they are secured beneath the rear bars, BL. Upon opposite sides of each of 1 the straight sections of the tooth-bars small 3 plates or clips, c, are riveted, bolted, or otherwise secured, adapted to clamp between them and the tooth-bars the upper ends of the teeth l). The teeth are attached to the bent toothf bars only on their parallel front and rear portions, and a tooth is placed on each side of each portion, so that since these portions are all parallel with the line ot` motion, and the resistance of the teeth is equal ou each side of each portion, there is no tendency to cant the toothbars, as shown. These teeth are bent off at an (No model.)

angle tothe tooth-bars in opposite directions, the iirst and third rows being bent to the left, and the second and fourth rows being bent to the right when looked at from the front. The teeth are made long enough, so that when thus bent oit' sidewise their lower points will cross or lap over each other, to cause the teeth to cut more closely and thoroughly through the sod or turf, and thus detach all the pieces between the g knives. This bending ofthe tooth-bars enables me to set the cutting-points of the teeth ou the rear straight sections, b b", opposite the centers of the spaces between the cutting-points of the forward straight sections, b Zfthereby causing the teeth to cut uniformly and with small equal-sizedspaces between their furrows. One ofthe Lipper corners, d, or the whole upper end ofeaeh ofthe teeth D,will be bent over slightly, as shown, to rest upon the top edge of the bars A or clips c, to form stops to prevent the teeth from slipping down through the-clips,` and also to assist in holding the teeth at any'desired angle.

Pivoted at c/ c"7 to the rear parts of the two outer bars, A, are two bent levers, E E, their upper parts formed into handles E", and their lower parts bent around into flat and curved shoes E E. These levers are so formed that when the handles E E" are turned upright, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, the shoes will be held up above the lower line of the teeth D 5 but when the levers are turned down, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. l, the slices will come below the lower line of the teeth; hence the frame A. B B2 C Cf" and teeth D will be elevated and held up above the ground, and caused to drag along upon the shoes similar to a sled. By this simple means the cutter maybe raised up out of the ground and moved along to any distance when it is desired to transport it from place to place. Small catches g g'l will be arranged upon the rear ends of the outer bars, A, to catch the levers E E, when they are depressed, to hold them in that position.

F is the tongue by which the cutter is drawn forward, which is attached at its rear end by a flexible connection, 71 tothe central bar, A, and is provided with side brace-rods, t G2, by which it is connected to the forward corners of the cutter by clips t" These brace-rods are jointed or hinged to the clips IOO a limited extent, the flexible joint zfalso nid- 3y this ing in this up-anddown inoveinent. means the eutter will rise and fall with the varying surface of the ground without all'eeting` the tongue. The flexible attachment oi' the tongue also enables the cutter to be raised l'roin the ground by the levers E El without The upper section ol the ilexible connection h is provided with a nut, L

aifeeting the tongue.

li, whereby the tongue muy be adjusted higher and lower with relation to the bars Ai. derneath the rear end ot' the tongue is secured a small nietal plate, ou, adapted to strike and rest upon the upper side ofthe Center bar, A, l when the 'forward end ot' the tongue is raised, g

to receive the wear and prevent its coming upon the tongue.

Having` described my invention and set torth its merits, what I elaiin is 11i. In a sod-cutter, the combination oi" a series oi'tooth-bars, A A, plat-,ed parallel. with on another, each having a iorwa rd and a back I part parallel with the line ol' draft, eaehrol' the teeth, D D, and connected by an oblique oli'- set portion, bringing the baek parts oi" all the tooth-bars equidistant between thelines ofthe i several forward parts, for the purpose specil `tied. 2. A sod-cutter constructed with parallel i tooth'bars A A, having' forward and back parts parallel with the line ot' draft, carrying teeth f bent in opposite directions and conneeted by g oblique oll'set parts, 'forward and rear erossi bars, lI3 122, bolted tothe tootlrbars, and dil agonal braces C C, connecting opposite eori ners` ol.' the sod-cutter, and elipped at their crossing;l lo the middle tooth-bar, for the purpose speeiiied.

ln testimony whereof l have hereunto setmy hand. in presence oi' two subseribilre` witg nesses. t CHARLES DOUGLASS EDWARDS.

Vitnesses:

L. E. DUNN, L. J. Pneu-w.

l said portions carrying two oppositelydgient i 

